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miercuri, 17 noiembrie 2010

Michael Gray - Graywolf's SEO Blog

Merrick Lozano of PRLeap Gives Tips About Press Releases

Posted: 16 Nov 2010 08:30 AM PST

This is the third time we're speaking with Merrick Lozano of PRLeap, so let's dive right in. The last time we talked here was 2007 when we spoke about local search. What's new in the area of press releases that people should know about?

Thank you for having me back Michael.

When we last spoke in 2007 the press release had just celebrated its 100th birthday. It had evolved into an effective tool for increasing a brand's search visibility. You can use an online press release to reach customers and writers who are searching for the type of information you are writing about.

With the emergence of social networks, the press release has continued to evolve – showing its flexibility – as it becomes a tool for sparking conversations and engaging customers and influencers. The social media press release, also known as the social media release (SMR), bundles together videos, pictures, links, and other social objects into a story ready to be distributed via online press release services like PR Leap.

This summer we upgraded our social media release template with the Facebook Like button and the Tweet button from Twitter – to make it easy to spark a conversation in those respective communities. The impact was immediate: with only a few Likes and Tweets, a news release not only gets an increase in visitors from Facebook and Twitter, but it also gets a spike in search traffic.

… socializing a press release into a social media release makes it easier to spark conversations on communities where your audience is participating. You'll get much better results if you help get the conversation started by liking, tweeting and submitting the social media release to target niche sites…

The benefits of socializing a press release are clear, but not all social media releases are equal. Traditionally, a press release was written for the press. This meant writing a news story in the third person. Giving the social media release the flexibility to be written in conversational tone for most audiences makes it more engaging. But most press release services and newswires will not distribute or publish a release unless it's free of direct address.

This is why at PR Leap we no longer require that press releases be written in third person. We believe you know your customers best. You decide if conversational tone is right for you.

I must admit we didn't fully embrace the social media release when it was first introduced in 2006. Instead, we immediately adopted what made sense and decided against making any hasty changes until we had a better understanding of the role social networks would play in online PR.

Probably the first important step in a successful press release is getting picked up and included in Google News. What are some tips you have for people to increase the likelihood of that happening?

If you want your press release to get picked up by Google News, then it has to be in acceptable format. There are 16 specific crawl errors the Google Newsbot can trip on.

Here are 5 tips if you want your press release to get picked up by Google News:

The press release should be more than 80 words
The headline should be between 2 and 22 words (Ideally 7 words)
The body should have paragraphs of a few sentences each
Bullet points and lists tend to cause a problem when they are preceded by 1-2 sentence paragraphs
If you need to reference an old date in the body of the press release, make sure the publish date of the press release is at the top

Once you're in Google news, the next big thing most people want to happen is for blogs, magazines, newspapers, or any other media to notice and cover the story. What are some tips you might have that can help people reach that goal?

…Including videos and pictures in your press release is definitely worth the effort. After optimizing your press release, images by far are the easiest way to increase the reach of your press release…

It's important to establish relationships with people before you actually need something from them. If you have already made the time to establish relationships in advance with Bloggers and reporters, then you should definitely share your announcement with them. Don't send them your press release; instead, contact them privately with a short preview of what you're going to announce. Most blogs have a contact section that outlines their rules of engagement and reporters typically have a link to their profile where they list how to contact them.

I don't recommend buying email lists and blasting them with your press release or else you might end up on blacklists like this one created a couple of years ago by Gina Trapani from Life Hacker.

Here are links to articles from bloggers and journalists about how to pitch them with your story.

Thoughts on product launch promotion – Marshall Kirkpatrick of ReadWriteWeb
How to Pitch Your News Story to The Wall Street Journal – Gordon Deal of the Wall Street Journal
How to Pitch A Tech Blogger - Mark McLeod Hendrickson formerly of Techcrunch
Anatomy of a Great PR Pitch – Geoff Livingston

You obviously would prefer that everyone use your service to distribute their press releases, but are there any circumstances in which it makes sense to use more than one service? Maybe to put out two press releases with a different editorial slant, or on different dates? Are there any tips you can give about how to track the effectiveness of one over the other?

If you are a big company with a big budget and you want to put your news release in front of the largest audience possible, you can certainly pay for that. Business Wire or PR Newswire would love to take your money and send out your release to their list of newspapers, magazines, radio, and television outlets. There is no guarantee that you will get any coverage from it but, if you have the extra money, it's an option.

Some of our clients send out their press release through multiple services, including PR Leap, on the same day. Here's are a few ways to track results for such comparisons.

Track Traffic

Most press release services track how many page views your press release has to date. If you have something like Google Analytics installed you can also see how many visitors are being referred by from your press release on each site you sent it out through.

Track Contacts

You can track customer inquiries via email by customizing the email address on each release, like prleap@yourdomain.com or bizwire@yourdomain.com. An easier way to do this, if it works, is to add a + sign and any text you like after the + sign. Doing so will allow you to customize your email but still receive the emails in your inbox. For example:

contact+prleap@gmail.com (emails received at contact@gmail.com)
contact+bizwire@gmail.com (emails received at contact@gmail.com)

Track Rankings

You can track rankings, which should correlate with future traffic, by searching for your press release. Here are a few searches to track your press releases for:

1. headline
2. keyword
3. brand name

Keep track of which press release ranks above the rest on Google Search on day 1, day 7, day 30, day 180, day 365. During the first few days you may see your press release on page 1 inside a News, Images, or Video One Box within the search results.

A more automated way of tracking rankings across search engines would be to use RavenTools.com SERP Tracker or the SEOBook.com Rank Checker to track the keyword phrases/headlines from your press releases.

Social media experts often tell clients that press releases don't help social bookmarking efforts on sites like Digg, Reddit, and Stumbleupon. I don't know that I agree with that advice. For example, recently OK Cupid released a study talking about pictures, and one of the conclusions they reached was "iPhone users have more sex". I think this would have been something worthy of a press release. Have you seen any other examples where press releases work with social media or social bookmarking campaigns?

If you think about it, news is inherently social – we talk about it, link to it, bookmark it, tag it, and more.

Digg, Reddit, Stumbleupon are definitely a more challenging environment for press releases to thrive in, but it's possible to find an audience in those communities. Here are some examples of press releases on PRLeap.com that did well on social bookmarking and social media sites.

New Rogue ADHD Memoir By Gifted Writer Digs Fiercely Into Adderall Addiction and Psychiatry
Received 2,800+ page views originating from StumbleUpon with only 29 thumbs up.

New ModuLock system provides HT20/22 Replacement
Received 3000+ page views originating from Hacker News with only 49 up votes.

Those are two communities where experts will have you believe press releases are ignored.

Dhani Jones launches new U of M bow tie to support C.S. Mott Childrens Hospital
Facebook sent hundreds of visitors to the social media release within a couple of hours of the press release being shared on Facebook. To date the press release has 98 Likes on Facebook.

As I mentioned earlier, socializing a press release into a social media release makes it easier to spark conversations on communities where your audience is participating. You'll get much better results if you help get the conversation started by liking, tweeting, and submitting the social media release to target niche sites.

I noticed you have the ability to include pictures and videos with press releases that are distributed through your service. Is this worth the effort, is one more effective than the other, and how can I best use this my advantage?

Including videos and pictures in your press release is definitely worth the effort. After optimizing your press release, images by far are the easiest way to increase the reach of your press release, while video keeps visitors engaged with your news longer. If you have the media, including both pictures and video is a winning strategy.

Here is how to increase the reach of your press release on Google Search, Google News, and Google Images with just an image.

Upload a large image to be embedded in your press release. Make sure to optimize the filename to include the brand name and keyword you are targeting for the particular release. We've optimized our social media release template at PR Leap for Google News image inclusion such that your image maybe included next to your news article and also next to other news articles for your target keyword.

All right. Since you were nice enough to answer these questions, I'll let you wrap up by telling everyone about some of the benefits of using your press release service.

Thank you Michael. PR Leap helps businesses:

Increase their online visibility
Make their brand findable on Google, Bing, and Yahoo
Spark conversations about them on Twitter and Facebook
Drive more traffic to their website
Manage their online reputation
Save money when compared to the cost of advertising
Track their results, which are long-lasting
Get started with helpful articles, an easy-to-use platform, and friendly email support

You can visit PRleap to learn more about their service, pricing, and create a free account.

Thanks for taking the time to talk us today.

As always it's a pleasure, and I appreciate the opportunity.

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Merrick Lozano of PRLeap Gives Tips About Press Releases

Honoring America's Top Scientists, Engineers and Inventors

Your Daily Snapshot for
Wednesday Nov. 17, 2010

Photo of the Day

President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama greet Staff Sergeant Salvatore Giunta and his wife Jennifer Mueller in the Oval Office, Nov. 16, 2010. Later, the President presented the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Giunta for his courageous actions during combat operations against an armed enemy in the Korengal Valley, Afghanistan, in October 2007. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

Today's Schedule

Today, the President will award the National Medal of Science and the National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the highest honors bestowed by the United States government on scientists, engineers, and inventors.

All times are Eastern Standard Time.

9:30 AM: The President receives the Presidential Daily Briefing

10:10 AM: The President meets with senior advisors

10:45 AM: Press Secretary Gibbs will convene an off-camera gaggle in the Brady Press Briefing Room

11:15 AM: The President meets with his national security team for his monthly meeting on Afghanistan and Pakistan

12:45 PM: The President and the Vice President meet for lunch

3:45 PM: The President and the Vice President meet with Secretary of State Clinton

5:25 PM: The President awards the National Medal of Science and National Medal of Technology and Innovation

Indicates Events that will be livestreamed on WhiteHouse.gov/live.

Seth's Blog : The Sally Fields problem

[You're getting this note because you subscribed to Seth Godin's blog.]

The Sally Fields problem

It doesn't really matter if we like you.

It matters if we like your work.

[Surprisingly, the converse of this rule also works].

Sometimes it seems as though people who are really concerned about one would be better off focusing on the other.

• Email to a friend •

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marți, 16 noiembrie 2010

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

European Banks have $650 billion Exposure to Ireland; Germany’s Economy Minister says "EU Cannot Throw Money from Helicopters"
City of Hamtramck, Michigan Seeks Bankruptcy
EU President Proclaims "Survival Crisis"; Everyone Wants a Bailout of Ireland Except Ireland; Austria tells Greece to Get Stuffed; Currency Ping-Pong
Investigation of Bernanke's Proclaimed "Success" of QE II at Lowering Rates
Hugo Salinas-Price Comments on Kitco and Nadler

European Banks have $650 billion Exposure to Ireland; Germany’s Economy Minister says "EU Cannot Throw Money from Helicopters"

Posted: 16 Nov 2010 09:00 PM PST

In case you were wondering about why there is intense pressure on Ireland to accept a bailout from the EU and the IMF, look no further than the fact that European banks have $650 billion Exposure to Ireland.

Nonetheless, in a clear backhand slap in the face to Ben Bernanke, Germany's Economy Minister says "the European Union cannot throw money from Helicopters". Let's explore this messy situation with a peek at a couple of articles.

Pressure Mounts on Ireland

The New York Times reports New Push for Ireland to Consent to a Bailout

As Ireland tried to fend off pressure to accept a bailout on Tuesday and other European nations raised objections to participating in a rescue plan, Europe again found itself confronting a crisis of confidence in the euro and, ultimately, in its ability to manage its economic problems.

A very public struggle over how to grapple with the latest market unease over the fiscal stability of several European countries illustrated the touchy questions of sovereignty and difficulty of reaching consensus that have kept Europe from reacting quickly. The latest episode also raises questions about tapping an existing bailout fund that Europe created earlier this year to prevent a debt crisis in Greece.

The pressure on Ireland grew as officials feared that market jitters could spread rapidly if nothing was done, putting the squeeze on other fiscally weakened countries, like Portugal and Spain, the fourth-largest economy in the euro zone.

But officials in the more fiscally sound nations, like Germany and Finland, raised concerns about turning over money to nations without a coherent plan.

The European Union cannot "throw money from helicopters," Germany's economy minister, Rainer Brüderle, said during a visit to Rome. "You have to create confidence in institutions, in the state, in public authorities."

European Bank Exposure to Ireland Explains Bailout Push

The New York Times reports Banks' Exposure Stirs EU Contagion Worries

All told, European banks were sitting on more than $650 billion of exposure to Ireland as of March 31, according to the Bank for International Settlements.

The U.K. banks are the international lenders with the most at stake. As of March 31, the latest data available, the banks had exposure of about $222 billion to a variety of Irish institutions, according to BIS. That's about one-fourth of the world's exposure to Ireland. About $42 billion of the U.K. banks' exposure is in the form of lending to Ireland's battered banking sector.

German banks aren't far behind the U.K. They had a total of almost $206 billion in exposure to Ireland, according to the BIS, including $46 billion of exposure to the country's banks.

Rat's Ass Perspective

The other countries in the EU do not give a rat's ass about Ireland. All they really cares about is $650 billion in loans on the books of UK, German, French, Italian, and Spanish banks.

The US is of course the third most interested party and will no doubt apply pressure on the IMF to apply pressure on Ireland to accept some sort of bailout.

Ireland is sitting on a pile of cash. That cash will last much longer if Ireland defaults and that I believe is just what Ireland should do.

The IMF may be prepared to "Help" but I repeatedly ask and answer whether or not it can do any such thing in IMF Ready to "Help" Ireland; Can the IMF "Help" Anyone?

The short answer is for Ireland to tell the EU and IMF to "Stuff It".

Every country for itself. There is simply no reason for Irish citizens to bailout UK, German, French, and US banks.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

City of Hamtramck, Michigan Seeks Bankruptcy

Posted: 16 Nov 2010 07:10 PM PST

Lost in the shuffle of affairs in Ireland, the Detroit News reports Hamtramck seeks state permission to file for bankruptcy

The city of Hamtramck, desperate for cash, has asked the state for permission to take an unprecedented step: filing for bankruptcy.

City Manager Bill Cooper said the city of roughly 20,000 people is staring at a $3 million deficit, fueled by a dispute with Detroit. Unless Hamtramck files for bankruptcy, it won't be able to pay its nearly 100 employees or 153 retirees, he said.

Many Michigan municipalities are under severe financial pressure following a crippling recession that has seen tax revenues plummet. The Detroit Public Schools considered bankruptcy last year but opted against it.

Caleb Buhs, a Department of Treasury spokesman, said the department received the letter Monday and officials are studying it. Under a 1990 law, only an emergency financial manager appointed by the state can take a city into bankruptcy, he said. No Michigan municipality has declared bankruptcy before or since the law was passed, he said.

Bill Nowling, a spokesman for Gov.-elect Rick Snyder, said Snyder is monitoring what he believes is a growing problem in Michigan.

"The issue right now is to get a handle on exactly how many municipalities out there are at the point where Hamtramck is," Nowling said. "There are probably several that are sitting on the bubble."

Nonunion employees have taken a 5 percent pay cut and are paying 15 percent of the health care premiums for spouses and families. The union employees have not agreed to those provisions, and Cooper said a bankruptcy filing could help "force the unions to the table."

In his letter to the state, Cooper said the city has approached the police, fire and municipal unions on several occasions and won only minimal concessions. Moving "quickly to bankruptcy," Cooper wrote, would allow the city to "set aside" the current union contracts and solve the budget problem.

"While this step may seem radical in its approach, it is the only approach that will quickly and effectively allow us to address our shortfall," he wrote.

I commend the approach of Hamtramck city manager Bill Cooper. The public unions have bankrupted the city and numerous other cities in Michigan and elsewhere.

Moreover, I await the bankruptcy filing for a major city like Houston, Miami, or Los Angeles, all of which are without a doubt "walking dead". The sooner they file bankruptcy the better off all of those cities will be.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

EU President Proclaims "Survival Crisis"; Everyone Wants a Bailout of Ireland Except Ireland; Austria tells Greece to Get Stuffed; Currency Ping-Pong

Posted: 16 Nov 2010 12:48 PM PST

A mad dash to "save Ireland" is underway by the EU and by the IMF. Numerous reports of an Irish bailout are floating around everywhere. The only problem with the rumors is that Ireland says the rumors are false and it does not need a bailout.

EU President Proclaims Survival Crisis

Bloomberg reports Ireland Weighs Aid as EU Spars Over Debt-Crisis Remedy

Ireland was in talks over a financial rescue as European Union leaders battled to shield Portugal from the resurgent debt crisis and doubts surfaced over Greece's economic health.

"We are in a survival crisis," EU President Herman Van Rompuy said at the European Policy Centre in Brussels today. "If we don't survive with the euro zone we will not survive with the European Union."

Public clashes among EU officials over how to defuse Europe's debt bomb marked a new stage in the crisis triggered by Greece's near-default in May that forced the EU to set up a 750 billion-euro ($1 trillion) rescue fund to keep the euro intact. A European Central Bank official threatened to end economy- boosting measures.

"We are discussing with both the ECB and the IMF and of course the Irish," EU Economic and Monetary Affairs Commissioner Olli Rehn said on his way into the meeting. "The real problems are in the banking sector," not with the government, "but these are connected."

Ireland is negotiating with the EU and International Monetary Fund about aid to shore up the state's finances, furnish capital for the country's banks and spare it from tapping the bond market for an extended period, the European official said on condition of anonymity.

"There is a risk of contagion," Portuguese Finance Minister Fernando Teixeira dos Santos said in an interview yesterday. "But there's a big difference between saying there is a risk of contagion and saying help is imminent or that we are going to ask for help."

Risk of Contagion

The Portuguese Finance Minister's statement is like saying you have a risk of getting measles after red blotchy rashes and Koplik's spots appear. The risk is not that contagion starts, but rather that it spreads to Spain then the big kahuna, Italy.

Ireland Denies Rumors

While the EU and IMF are scrambling around announcing secret agreements to bail out Ireland, it seems they forget to get the blessing of Ireland.

Please consider Irish leader slams EU aid rumors as `ill-informed'

Irish Prime Minister Brian Cowen has denounced recent international media claims that Ireland is seeking, or needs, an European Union bailout as "ill-informed and inaccurate."

Ireland has denied persistent rumors in recent days that it is negotiating terms of an euro80 billion bailout from the European Union. Other eurozone members have seen their own borrowing costs rise amid investor fears of an Irish debt default and have called on Ireland to accept aid.

EU "Cranks Up Pressure" on Ireland

MarketWatch elaborates on the above denial in Ireland's Cowen: No application for aid

Addressing parliament in Dublin, Brian Cowen said rising borrowing costs were a "concern," but noted that Ireland is projected to have enough cash on hand to meet its funding needs through the middle of next year.

It's appropriate for Finance Minister Brian Lenihan to discuss initiatives to address high borrowing costs in the euro zone with fellow European finance ministers, Cowen said.

The Wall Street Journal reported that European officials were working on an aid package that could include 80 billion to 100 billion euros ($108 billion to $136 billion) in credit to shore up confidence in the nation's public finances, as well as a package of aid for Irish banks worth €45 billion to €50 billion.

A meeting of euro-zone finance ministers was under way in Brussels. Finance ministers from all 27 European Union nations are set to meet Wednesday.

European officials have reportedly cranked up pressure on Ireland to accept a bailout in an effort to keep Dublin's fiscal woes from driving up borrowing costs in Spain, Portugal and other so-called peripheral countries in the euro zone.

Overall, there are growing signs of a potential compromise that would allow the government to save some political face by saying that bailout funds are intended to recapitalize the banking system, said Simon Derrick, chief currency strategist at Bank of New York Mellon.

The Great Compromise

As best as I can tell from the above is that the current master plan is for the EU and IMF to bailout Ireland, but Ireland can save face if they call it a "peanut butter sandwich" instead of a bailout.

IMF Prepared to "Help"

The IMF may be prepared to "Help" but I ask and answer whether or not it can do any such thing in IMF Ready to "Help" Ireland; Can the IMF "Help" Anyone?

The short answer is Ireland to tell the EU and IMF to "Stuff It" which is what Austria just today told Greece.

Austria tells Greece to get stuffed

While pondering the above game of semantics, Please ponder Austria tells Greece to get stuffed

Europe's hastily assembled bailout fund already seems to be coming apart at the seams, and that's before Ireland has even tapped into it. Austria is refusing to contribute to the next tranche of bailout money for Greece, citing the country's failure to meet conditions. Yesterday it emerged there is serious slippage in Greece's deficit reduction programme.

The way things are going, the facility will fail even before its wider fault lines have been fully exposed. Europe is making things up as it goes along, and a pretty desperate job it is making of it too. The extraordinary thing to outsiders trying to analyse these events is just how poorly prepared Europe was to cope with sovereign debt crises within its midst. Indeed the no bailout clause contained in the Maastricht Treaty seemed to deny the possibility of there ever being one.

It's all a terrible mess, or as Terry Smith, chief executive of Tullett Prebon, puts it, "that's what happens when some botched repair starts to come apart in a hurricane". Quite so.

P.S. Standby for a statement from the Irish government at 5pm gmt. Ireland is expected to dress up agreement to use the bailout facility as a banking bailout package rather than a sovereign debt bailout.

P.P.S. The Irish PM's statement has turned out to be a damp squib. Ireland has not applied for a bailout, he has reiterated, and he complains of "exaggeration" by many analysts.

Currency Ping-Pong

click on chart for much sharper image

Stepping back it is quite amusing to watch the game of currency Ping-Pong between the dollar and the Euro, with the Euro collapsing in the face of Greece bailouts only to go soaring when Bernanke spoke of QE II, now sinking yet again in the face of Irish and Portuguese contagion.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Investigation of Bernanke's Proclaimed "Success" of QE II at Lowering Rates

Posted: 16 Nov 2010 10:24 AM PST

Curve Watchers Anonymous is investing Bernanke's claim that QE II has already been a success at lowering treasury rates.

Yield Curve as of 2010-11-16

click on chart for sharper image

Curve Watchers Anonymous admits the "Success" of QE II in sending commodity prices soaring but given the price squeeze it has put on businesses, QE II looks more like a pyrrhic victory than a success.

Price Squeeze or Success?

Please consider NY Fed Manufacturing Survey: New Orders Index Plummets 37 Points to -24.4, Sharpest Drop Since September 2001; Prices Received Negative

Price Indexes Fall

Indexes for both prices paid and prices received were below their October levels. The prices paid index fell 8 points to 22.1, suggesting that the pace of price increases had slowed in November. The prices received index dropped below zero, falling 11 points to -2.6 — a sign of slight downward pressure on selling prices. Employment indexes were also lower. The index for number of employees fell 13 points but, at 9.1, remained above zero, indicating that employment levels were modestly higher in November. The average workweek index, however, fell below zero, to -13.0, indicating that the average length of the employee workweek was shorter.

Prices Paid vs. Prices Received

Small Business Squeeze

Please consider NFIB Report Shows Lack of Sales Still #1 Problem of Small Businesses, Inflation Barely Registers

Sales and Taxes are Two Biggest Problems

Inflation Is A Non-Issue

Historically inflation measured as a big concern in the mid-to-late 1970's. Inflation concerns spiked again in the summer of 2008 along with gas prices. In spite of a huge recent rally in commodities there is no fear of inflation now.

From the report "Seasonally adjusted, the net percent of owners raising prices was a net negative five percent, a six point increase from September. Plans to raise prices rose five points to a net seasonally adjusted 12 percent of owners. However, most plans to raise prices have been frustrated by the recession and weak sales during the past few years."

The number of business owners raising prices is a net negative 5%. The profit squeeze continues as small businesses are not able to pass along rising input prices. The result is easy to spot: " far more owners report that earnings are deteriorating quarter on quarter than rising."

Economists Petition Fed to End QE II

QE II has been such a success that in an Open Letter to Bernanke 23 Economists Complain About QE II; GOP Lawmakers Call for Abandoning $600 Billion Bond Purchase

Bernanke defended QE II based on a "Dual Mandate", something I say is tantamount to hiding behind a "Curtain of Idiocy". If you missed it, please click on the above link to see why.

Sell the News

Meanwhile the QE II "sure-thing" bet continues to unwind in commodities, global equities, and the yield curve.

The Fed was buying in the heart of the curve, and Curve Watchers Anonymous is watching the heart of the curve blow up in unusual ways.

I talked about this in QE II Bet Starts to Unravel

Signs in the yield curve, municipal bonds, junk bonds, and commodities suggest the one-way "sure thing" QE II bet has started to unravel.

Curve Watchers Anonymous is particularly interested in the yield curve.

Yield Curve 2010-11-12

click on any chart in this post to see a sharper image

A representative of Curve Watchers Anonymous said "I have never seen action like this before. The middle part of the curve is blowing up even as the long bond rallies. The action indicates that everyone who front-ran the Fed purchases is now unloading to the Fed. " ...

I have another chart from today that shows this kind of unusual action as well.

Bear in mind those are point in time snapshots I managed to catch. They may not be indicative of a full day's price action at all. However, they do show unusual patterns suggestive of unwinding of various "sure-fire" trades that cannot lose. They also show just how much Bernanke has distorted things.

Regardless of how you interpret the charts, it is crystal clear Bernanke did not lower rates, nor did QE II do a damn bit of good for business owners in the real economy.

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

Hugo Salinas-Price Comments on Kitco and Nadler

Posted: 16 Nov 2010 08:26 AM PST

One of the readers of this blog is Hugo Salinas-Price a businessman from Mexico and a strong proponent of silver and gold backed currency. We exchange emails several times a month.

In response to "Midas Crush" - MarketWatch Attempts to Explain "Why Gold is a Bad Investment" I received the following comments from Hugo and have his approval to share them.

Hello Mish!

Kitco's Jon Nadler is forever doing his best to discredit gold. This is like trying to discredit the Law of Gravity.

At the same time, Nadler is Chief Economist for Kitco, which sells gold and silver and also stores those metals for customers. Why Kitco should employ him as their economist is a mystery.

It's enough of a mystery that I would not dream of keeping precious metal deposits in the custody of Kitco.

Kitco employing Nadler is like having a whaling company contributing to Greenpeace.

Best regards

Hugo

In case you missed it, and/or to help explain the above email, please see Nadler Nonsense "Gold Is Not in a Bull Market".

Mike "Mish" Shedlock
http://globaleconomicanalysis.blogspot.com
Click Here To Scroll Thru My Recent Post List

miercuri, 17 noiembrie 2010

Michael Gray - Graywolf's SEO Blog

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Honoring America's Top Scientists, Engineers and Inventors

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miercuri, 17 noiembrie 2010

Michael Gray - Graywolf's SEO Blog

Michael Gray - Graywolf's SEO Blog

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Honoring America's Top Scientists, Engineers and Inventors

Seth's Blog : The Sally Fields problem

The Sally Fields problem

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marți, 16 noiembrie 2010

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

Mish's Global Economic Trend Analysis

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